Eleanore is the Executive Director of Manilatown Heritage Foundation. In this lead executive role, her key passion is to be a bridge between generations by bringing together people, ideas, and events. She thrives in discovering ways to connect others to be partners standing alongside each other in a truly meaningful way. Her wish is to tie her ideals and convictions together into Manilatown Heritage Foundation’s mission of bringing cultural roots to the forefront while still firmly grounded in our shared history.
Eleanore brings with her nearly twenty years of marketing, public relations, event planning, and community outreach experience to the organization. She has held various executive board positions, most notably as the Vice President of YFPA/ Your Filipino Professionals Association for nearly ten years. She was also an executive board member with GFN/ Global Filipino Network. A key GFN highlight was when she co-produced a well attended, global cultural arts forum entitled “Sangdiwa” at the San Francisco Philippine Consulate Office.
The event brought artists in the disciplines of fine art, textiles, photography, graphics, jewelry, painting, literature, song, dance, and in addition, the grand finale, a runway fashion show to the venue. The goal that whole day was a success because all the artists were able to share their creative and personal insights to inspire, enlighten, and educate all who attended that day.
In 2012, She was also selected by The Filipina Women’s Network as one of the TOP 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. in the “Builders and Emerging Leaders” category at their summit that year. She was honored amongst the ranks of powerful Pinays in attendance that day, such as Criseta Comerford, the White House’s Executive Chef, Victoria J. Santos, the President of Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) East Bay, Penélope V. Flores,
Professor Emeritus of San Francisco State University, and Cynthia A. Bonta, President of the Philippine National Day Association (PNDA). At the summit, she delivered a spoken word piece about remembering our legacy, honoring ancestors, and empowering her fellow Pinays.
In 2016 she was recognized with a community service award from then San Francisco District 10 Supervisor, Malia Cohen and also, given a congressional recognition by the Honorable Madam Speaker, Nancy Pelosi during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Throughout her career, she has developed trusting and productive working relationships, earning a high reputation of being a hard-working, energetic, self-starter while motivating her team members to stay involved as they executed exciting and well-run events. She coordinated and led community-based events, most recently, popular health fairs that were sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, Sutterhealth – CPMC, UCSF, the San Francisco Giants, the San Jose Sharks, the San Francisco Forty-Niners, and the Golden State Warriors.
Eleanore grew-up as the eldest of four children, the “Ate”- “Big Sister” in a Navy family. By the time she was the age of twelve, she had resided in Guam, Germany, the Philippines, Norfolk, Virginia, Pensacola, Florida, and along the coastlines of Santa Barbara and San Diego, California.
Eleanore is a proud Filipina-American, who grew up on various military bases in the U.S., Asia and Europe, and learned early on that change is the only constant thing. She received her B.A. in English Literature from Notre Dame de Namur University, resides in the the South Bay/ Silicon Valley, has a day job with a local utilities agency, and is surrounded by a large extended family that includes her husband, John P. and her supercute, mini-me knicknamed, “Lady Jah Jah”. She weaves the vibrance of her adored and adoring “familia” into every aspect of her work, life & writing.
manilatown.org 